A greetings card generally comprises an illustrated, folded card featuring an expression of friendship or other sentiment. Although greetings cards are usually given on special occasions, such as birthdays, Christmas, or other holidays, they are also sent to convey thanks or express other feelings. Greetings cards, usually packaged with an envelope, come in a variety of styles. There are both mass-produced as well as handmade versions that are distributed by hundreds of companies large and small. Whilst typically inexpensive, more elaborate cards with die-cuts or glued-on decorations may cost GB £5 each, or more.
In western societies and increasingly in other societies, many people traditionally mail seasonally themed cards to their friends and relatives in December at or around Christmas time. Many service businesses also send cards to their customers in this season, usually with a Christmas message or what is deemed by some to be a universally acceptable non-religious message such as “happy holidays” or “seasons' greetings”. There is a belief that greetings cards are becoming bland; the sending of Christmas cards is often seen as a chore. Equally, there is an increasing number of cards which are sent to surprise the recipients, or joke cards, which may be sent to communicate emotions to a recipient.
JP 2003039860 provides a card such as a Christmas card, greeting cards or the like and comprises a card body and a cracker comprising a powder body encased in a cracker body case having a firing opening at the forward end, and a pull string passed through the powder body and being led out to the rear of the cracker body case is fixed onto the paper plane of a card body.